BARTRAM TRAIL - Fleming Island High senior Felipe Fernandez won the high jump and the 400 meters to push the Golden Eagles to a second place finish at the Bears Invitational at Bartram Trail High School on Feb. 17. Fleming Island’s girls finished fifth with Creekside winning. Bartram Trail won the boys team title.

Fernandez, 11th at the region 1-4A championships last year in the 400 with a 51.21 split, won with a 51.35 split just ahead of a strong finish from Aaron Bell of Raines, second at 51.82.

In the high jump, Fernandez won with a 5’-10.75” leap over teammates Ezra McCollum and Nick Ferendo. McCollum also hit 5’-10.75” while Ferendo finished at 5’-8.75”.

In the boys 800, Orange Park High distance runner John Bear took on Class 1A cross country third placer Sean Snyder of St. Joseph’s Academy and used a strong finish with 50 meters to go to move from fourth to second in 2:02.91 Snyder won in 2:01.43. Snyder was second in Class 1A’s 3200 last year at 9:48.19. Bear ran 2:00.95 for ninth at the region 1-3A championship last year.

In the boys 1600, featuring Georgia state champion Jacob McLeod and his 4:14.77 seed time, Fleming Island High got sterling performances from senior Andrew Miller who finished fourth behind McLeod’s winning time of 4:15.51. Miller, who broke the Fleming Island mile record twice last year, dropped the record down a notch with a 4:24.97 time.

At sixth place, Fleming Island freshman Kameron Wallizada, one of the more promising young runners in the county, ran near-perfect splits to a personal best 4:39.18 time with teammate Evan Fuller ninth at 4:45.29.

In the boys 100 meter dash, Fleming Island senior Anfernee McCaskill blasted two strong starts; one to win his preliminary heat, then second to take second overall in 11.04 where he battled wtih Mandarin High’s Kris Mitchell, who won in 11.03. Mandarin’s Connell Mosley was on McCaskill’s flank with a third place 11.04 split as well.

Fleming Island’s best track performances on the girls side was a third place in the 1600 from senior Julie Franzoni in 5:37.66 and Audrey Millican’s second in the 400 meters in 1:03.20 behind Raines’s Kanesheaira Johnson in 1:01.86. Adriana Neilen ran 1:04.62 for fourth after returning from a season-ending hip injury last year. In the 800, Grayson Iller also returned to the track after an injury to take seventh in the 800 in 2:34.64.

In the sprints, Fleming Island’s Chrisma Brown took second in the 200 in 26.15.

Fleming Island will next travel to Flagler Palm Coast for an invitational on Sat., Feb. 23.